Moscow to Host World Figure Skating Championships After Japan Earthquake
The world figure skating championships, originally scheduled for this week in Tokyo, will be switched to Moscow as Japan deals with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, the International Skating Union said.
“In the light of the dramatic situation in Japan the staging of sporting events becomes relatively secondary and a solution satisfying all involved is extremely difficult,” the ISU said in a statement on its website. “Nevertheless, it is in the best interest of the ISU and its members to hold the championships as soon as possible.”
Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi is the men’s defending world champion, while his compatriot Mao Asada is the title-holder in the women’s event.
Moscow will host the championships from April 24 through May 1. They had initially been scheduled for March 21-27 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, 135 miles (217 kilometers) from the stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi atomic complex.
The official death toll from the 9.0 magnitude quake and ensuing tsunami that struck Japan 13 days ago rose to 9,737, while 16,501 were still missing as of 3 p.m. local time today, according to the National Police Agency in Tokyo. The Japanese government has restricted shipments of milk, spinach and other vegetables in Fukushima and neighboring prefectures as radiation from the damaged reactors contaminated agricultural products.
The ISU on March 14 called off the Tokyo event because of safety concerns and after consultation with the Japan Skating Federation.
To contact the reporter on this story: Danielle Rossingh in London at drossingh@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chris Elser at celser@bloomberg.net
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